Four weeks ago, my wife and I got our first shots of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, most likely made here in Australia by my alma mater, CSL. We jumped the gun. Our group, Group 2a, was not due until mid-May. But my daughter runs a GP Saturday vaccination clinic, and no-shows and low demand meant there were doses going to waste. We volunteered. Even so, there were spare doses, so we rang around our friends to advertise the surplus, to no effect. “I’ll wait”, “I’m not sure” were the typical replies.

That fits in with recent surveys. Apparently, one third of unvaccinated Australians aren’t planning to get the vaccine. If you add this to those under 16 for which there is no vaccine as yet, we face a final vaccination rate well below 60 per cent; Australia will fail to achieve community protection through herd immunity.